Soak Your Papers

Here’s an idea if you have a large amount of paper that needs to be shredded and have a small shredder that can handle only so much or the motor gets hot if it runs too long. I used this method to destroy old checks when we changed addresses.

Fill a sink up with water and place all the papers in there then wait a few hours they will turn to mush. Stir them around and squeeze them out with your hands, then place them into a plastic bag for the trash. This soaking method takes a lot less time then shredding and completely destroys the confidential information.

Let Go of Your Treasures

The older I get the less important “things” mean to me.  Don’t get me wrong, I still love to shop for something pretty.  But in this day and time feeling secure is much more important to me than buying something new or hanging on to something I no longer need. Today, I find that I get much more pleasure out of a credit card that is finally paid off and cut up. Living with less means less debt.  We need the basics, not the best!

Rubbermaid Premier Storage Containers

One of my husband’s pet peeves is food storage containers.  He hates them! Not for the value they add to a kitchen, but because he can never, ever find the right lid for the right container. How many of us have been in his place?  You pull out a storage container, fill it with tonight’s leftovers, and then can’t find the right lid to fit.

Well, little does he know, his problems are solved.  And mine too, because I don’t have to listen to him rant any more.  Geri, as part of a birthday present, gave me two Rubbermaid New Premier Food Storage Containers.  And I love them!  Not only are they pretty to look at because of their gentle scroll work in the plastic and cheery red (or black) lids, they don’t stain or pit like the cheaper brands.

Nice but Unrealistic

Clean out and organize the garage. You may be thinking, that’s nothing. I do that all the time.  Well, I don’t. In fact, it’s been over 10 years since that garage has had a thorough purging.  So on a hot, dry, wind-less day, I spent my Saturday reorganizing and purging my long-time garage accumulations.

I’m a bit late this month with my Fix-It-Up Project.  It’s already June, and May just slipped away.  But at least I squeezed it in during the first week of June, so maybe you’ll forgive me.  May was filled with graduations, a graduation party, my birthday, planting flowers, and Mother’s Day.  It was a good month.

Protect Your Family and Home

During June, the Home Safety Council (HSC) is “working to educate and motivate families to take actions that will increase the safety of their homes.” There are five leading causes of injuries in the home; fires and burns, choking and suffocation, falls, drowning and poisoning.  Over 20 million people visit the emergency room or doctor as a result of those injuries.  Here are a few tips to minimize the risk of injuries at home:

Organize the Smallest Laundry Room

Having a well organized laundry room, no matter how small or large, will save you valuable time. Use a system that will allow you to sort your clothes into lights, darks and delicates such as a clothes hamper with three sections and a rack on top to hang clothes.  Keep a bin on top of your dryer or nearby to contain your soaps, bleaches and laundry supplies.  Following is a list of must-haves for your laundry room:

Organize Your Kitchen

If you read my New Year’s Resolution or what I now prefer to call a “commitment”, it is all about health.  Therefore, I am challenging myself to prepare healthy meals that are easy and inexpensive.  Having a well organized kitchen is half the battle, so I will start there.

My kitchen is small, like many of yours, so we have to be creative.  Make the most of the inside of your cabinets and drawers.  You can purchase wire racks with legs that gives you another layer.  You can purchase sliding shelves, one on top of the other to give you more storage.  I use a Lazy Susan in my cabinets to organize my spices and baking goods.